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Excel / Google Sheets
ActivityRoster vs Spreadsheets
Free and flexible — until an expiry is missed or two instructors clash.
Where Spreadsheets is a good fit
- Getting started with almost no cost
- Total flexibility of layout
- Simple one-person, one-site setups
Where ActivityRoster wins for RYA centres
- Spreadsheets don't warn you: no ratio checks, no expiry alerts, no double-booking guard, no audit trail.
- ActivityRoster keeps the flexibility (any pattern of sessions) while enforcing the safety rules automatically.
- Data is isolated per centre, hosted on Cloudflare in the EU and exportable — not scattered across tabs and inboxes.
| Capability | ActivityRoster | Spreadsheets |
|---|---|---|
| RYA ratio & safety-boat cover checks | ||
| Blocks unqualified / expired instructors | ||
| Licence & ticket tracking with expiry alerts | ||
| DBS / safeguarding vetting enforced at assignment | ||
| Youth vs adult courses separated throughout | ||
| Course-based multi-session scheduling | ||
| Visual week calendar & planner | ||
| Bulk assign one instructor to many courses | ||
| Instructor availability collection | ||
| Clock in/out & payroll-ready hours | ||
| Printable weekly rota (PDF) | ||
| Equipment & boat conflict tracking | ||
| Per-centre data isolation | ||
| Built for RYA centres out of the box |
Built in Partial / add-on / manual Not reallyReflects typical offerings — check Spreadsheets's current features.
Moving from Spreadsheets
This is the easiest move of all — paste your spreadsheet straight into the importer and we build your courses and sessions.
Compare with others
Try it with your own courses
Start a free month — no card required. Import your schedule and roster your first week with the safety checks on.